This was the first time in Stoneleigh-Burnham’s 150-year history that two students qualified to compete at in the world championship.

This was the second time that Claire qualified for the world tournament. Last year, she traveled to Hong Kong for the 2015 competition. (Read about her experience here.) This year, she earned her spot on the U.S. team with her win at the International Independent Schools Public Speaking Competition in Toronto October 23-26, 2015.

Clara qualified for the 2016 world competition by winning as top speaker at the first debate and public speaking competition of the season at SBS on October 4, 2015.